January has been good to me

Big thanks to everybody who came out to Yo! Remember the 90s? last night at Augusta House – and apologies to anyone who couldn’t get in. In spite of the nasty weather, we got a much bigger crowd than we expected. We had a lot of people celebrating birthdays last night, which always makes for a bigger night and a larger turnout. It also made us realize that last night was the first party we’ve thrown where somebody could have legally celebrated being born in the nineties. But the less said about that, the better.

As crazy and unexpected as last night was, it wasn’t the first big night this month. The thirteenth edition of Everyone’s a DJ drew an amazing crowd in even lousier weather. Friends and fellow DJs kept asking why there were so many people out, and I didn’t know what to tell them. My best guess is that the holidays were over, and everyone was eager to get out of the house after a long week at school or work. Whatever the reason, it was great to see everyone.

If you live in the Toronto area, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of that night on a show called Our Toronto, airing throughout the week on Rogers Cable. They were kind enough to send a camera crew down to do a short piece on the night. I’m not exactly sure when it’s going to air, but I’ve been told that it’ll most likely be broadcast on Thursday at 9:00 PM. I sure hope I didn’t say anything stupid!

Hopefully, the trend will continue at tomorrow’s edition of Strong Words. It will be the first reading produced by our new co-curators, Devon Code and Spencer Butt, and it will feature readings by Kathleen Phillips, Rebecca Rosenblum and Mike Smith. As always, we’ll be collecting donations of new and used books in resale condition for the Book Ends program at the Toronto Public Library. Check out the website for bios and details, and join us tomorrow night if you’re able.

Everyone’s a DJ will return to Disgraceland on Valentine’s Day. We’ll start booking DJs this week, so stay tuned for details if you’d like to spin. As for Augusta House, Paul is working on something great for February, and I’m sure he’ll announce it on the Yo! Jamz site soon. Stay tuned to the events page for news on all this and more.